SEAC’s U15 AAA squad off to strong start in Alberta Elite Hockey League

By Medicine Hat News on October 22, 2020.

South East Athletic Club’s U15AAA Tigers are undefeated to start the 2020-21 Alberta Elite Hockey League season.

After settling for a 3-3 tie with the Lethbridge Val Matteoti Golden Hawks on the road Saturday, the Tigers regrouped and pulled away with a 4-1 victory on Sunday at Hockey Hounds Arena.

Noah Deroiun put the Tigers on the board first Saturday with SEAC’s first goal of the season, but Kade Duell responded for Lethbridge to even the score after 20 minutes.

Deroiun struck again early in the second, then Connor Chapman answered for the Golden Hawks before Deegan Kinniburgh pushed the game back into Medicine Hat’s favour late in the middle frame – but Chapman secured the tie with his second of the night midway through the third.

Beck Boiteau stopped 32 shots for SEAC, while Preston Walker kept Lethbridge in it with 36 saves.

Chapman kept up his offensive pace early Sunday – scoring 12 minutes into the opening frame to give Lethbridge a lead – but the Tigers responded with four unanswered goals to lock up their first win of the year.

Chance Loke tied things up with one second left in the opening frame, then Ryan Miller and Deroiun tacked on in the second before Sam Hynes pushed the game out of reach in the third. Kinniburgh closed out the game with a pair of assists, while Hynes added a helper in each game.

Tigers netminder Kaige Schafer backed his team to the victory with a 28-save performance. Kahil Wright turned away 26 shots in the loss.

The Tigers and Golden Hawks meet again on Saturday afternoon at Hockey Hounds Arena before taking a two-week break from competition and moving into a three-game series against the Airdrie Xtreme in November.

The Tigers will then move on to face Okotoks Oilers for three games to close out the currently scheduled portion of the season.

U16 AAAs, U15 Aas

SEAC’s U16 AAA squad will play an exhibition Saturday in Lethbridge against the Headwater Hurricanes before opening the season at home on Oct. 31. The U15 AA Tigers will wait until Nov. 6 to open their campaign on the road in Lethbridge against the ‘Canes.

The U16 team has nine games listed on its schedule, with a trio of three-game series planned against the Hurricanes, Okotoks Oilers and Airdrie-Cochrane Avalanche over the next two months. A two-week non-competition break is scheduled between each series.

The U15 AA Tigers will play two four-game sets – against the Hurricanes and Foothills Bisons -though November and December, with a two-week break in between.

15
-14